Así somos / Who we are Así somos / Who we are es una hermosa colección de fotografías que resalta la enorme diversidad y riqueza cultural de los puertorriqueños. Todo comenzó con un concepto de la educadora Ada Nivia López, nacida en Arecibo y criada en Chicago, quien tambien escribió los textos para cada fotografía. El libro recoje más de cien imágenes de puertorriqueños tomadas en Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos por el reconocido fotógrafo Mark Joseph. El artista Antonio Martorell tuvo a su cargo el diseño. La colección resume diez años de  trabajo y cientos de entrevistas y conversaciones que hicieron posible la participación de los retratados para documentar su cotidianidad. Así se funden aquí fotografías tomadas desde Honolulu hasta Orlando…desde Nueva York hasta Ponce…desde Chicago hasta San Juan.  

Ibsen Peralta “M” Monachi et vita El Museo de Las Américas se complace en presentar la exposición titulada: “M” Monachi et vita consecrate del artista puertorriqueño Ibsen Peralta. La exposición consta de tallas en madera y pinturas al óleo representativas de las órdenes religiosas como los franciscanos, dominicos, agustinos, jesuitas, cartujos y clarisas entre otros. A través de los siglos, estas órdenes religiosas han sido documentadas y estudiadas; en la búsqueda de ampliar conocimientos, Ibsen Peralta se ha sentido atraido por el misterio, la oscuridad y el misticismo que ellas encierran, sobre todo en su imaginería. Peralta es egresado de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico y se desempeña en el mundo laboral como artista gráfico, pero es en la escultura y particularmente en la talla de santos en donde se ha destacado internacionalmente. Ha ganado sobre 23 premios y ha expuesto en Panamá, Tenerife (España) y Miami entre otros. La exposición inaugura el próximo jueves, 18 de diciembre de 2014 en la sala 4 del Museo, en horario de 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.  Termina el 8 de febrero de 2015.

Retablos de mi pueblo Edwin Báez Carrasquillo El Museo de Las Américas presenta la exposición Retablos de mi Pueblo compuesta por 24 retablos del maestro artesano Edwin Báez Carrasquillo. Edwin Báez nos comenta: «El retablo artesanal que exhiba diversos aspectos de nuestra experiencia colectiva es una tradición poco trabajada en Puerto Rico. Es un medio lleno de significados que utiliza como fuente los recuerdos acumulados en nuestra memoria colectiva para crear historias que nos invitan a reconocer nuestro pasado, a resignificar nuestro presente y a construir un futuro compartido». Estos retablos, así como las memorias que los inspiran, despiertan sentimientos de alegría, dolor, esperanza, ira y temores, todos propios de los recuerdos. Este arte combina diversas técnicas y medios dentro de un marco arquitectónico, en ocasiones natural. La madera, el barro, el metal y otros materiales se transforman y se unen a la textura, la forma, el movimiento y al color para crear retablos que enfatizan la riqueza y diversidad de nuestra cultura.   La exposición Retablos de mi Pueblo nos invita a conocer, recordar, conmemorar acontecimientos y experiencias que reafirman nuestra identidad cultural.   El ensayo del opúsculo escrito por el artista Rafael Trelles titulado Reflexiones sobre la obra de Edwin Báez define al maestro artesano como: poseedor de una experimentada técnica que le permite trabajar con maestría las maderas nobles del país así como el barro y otros materiales de origen industrial que se transforman con la magia de sus manos de artista. Maneja con destreza el torno, la talla, el modelado y la pintura realista, conjugando todos estos saberes con fluidez y armonía. Listado de Retablos: Patrimonio, Devoción, La Tormentera, Tembló la Tierra, Retablo Espada, El Pintor y el Santero, Belén Criollo, Aguinaldo, Adolfina, Isla Nena, Taller Común, Los Renegados, El Plumaje del Múcaro, Legado, El Pintor del Cerro, Maestro Martorell, La Exposición, EL Niño del Sable, El Bardo de Barceloneta, El Médico de los Pobres, El Amigo de los Pitirres, Don Pablo y las Palomas, Oquendo: Tallador de Caballos y El Tabaquero de Cayey. En exhibición hasta el 31 de enero de 2015.

MEGAPIXEL ENCOUNTER IN D MAJOR “encuentro de dos musas” Esta exposición persigue establecer un diálogo entre un músico y su contrafigura en la plástica. El músico al ver las imágenes (arte digital y fotos) se siente atraído e identificado con ellas y se da a la tarea de componer piezas que contengan lo que ve y lo que siente al observarlas. Es impactante cómo al describir sus piezas el músico alude y expresa exactamente el mismo lenguaje al que hace referencia el artista, sin mediar palabra entre ellos. Así pues, son capaces de propiciar el intercambio y la fusión entre tiempos y espacios que de otra forma parecerían impensables. En las imágenes trabaja específicamente con esa falta de «característica concreta». Pretenden ir más allá de la mera referencia a lo temporal. Llevándonos más al plano espiritual, abstraído, fluído y móvil, a una realidad estética de lo trascendental.La exposición consta de 15 obras digitales 30″ x 30″ , 1 obra 40″ x 40″ , 6 fotos 16″ x 20″ y la proyección de obras adicionales, acompañadas estas durante la apertura, por la música compuesta para ellas por Rafael Quiñones ( músico del conservatorio) e interpretada en vivo esa noche por músicos del Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico En exhibición hasta el 16 de noviembre de 2014.

The Return of the Apparitions by Hiram Montalvo An exhibition of paintings on canvas and Venetian papier-mâché masks, or molds of traditional masks from the Venice Carnival. The mask formats are named according to their area of origin, among which the most common are the masks or Colombinas, the mysterious Bauta (which has no mouth), the Zanny, the Casanova, and others. Few objects are as enigmatic as a mask. Behind it, we hide, we see ourselves differently, we assume another identity, and perhaps we observe the world from a different perspective. The exhibition was first presented in the summer of 2013 in support of a twinning or gemellaggio between San Juan and the city of Oneglia in Imperia, Italy. There, it was titled "Little Apparitions." Titles that allude to the dreamlike figuration so characteristic of the Aguadilla artist Hiram Montalvo. On display until January 18, 2015.

Outside the Law: Paintings by Lawyer and Painter Álvaro Calderón, curator of this exhibition, Humberto Figueroa explains, “These are some two hundred works that represent a life dedicated to the art of painting, beginning in the 1960s and continuing today. For the first time, outside his inner circle, the renowned lawyer's dedication and rapport with the disciplines of painting on a variety of media is revealed. The exhibition shares a journey from figuration, illustrating scenes of Old San Juan and landscape details, leading to abstraction. From an appreciation of his skills and knowledge of the art of painting, we appreciate his constant exploration of nuanced chromatic variations and his development of intense and vibrant color saturations.” “Although my primary vocation has been advocacy for over half a century, I have had a fondness for painting, as well as other forms of art, from early in my life,” explains the artist, Álvaro Caderón. “Álvaro Calderón, the lawyer, gives way to Álvaro Calderón the painter after operating in family secrecy for decades, driven by a passion for painting that defies categories and precepts, literally outside the law. It is in the exercise of this freedom conditioned by artistic discipline that the lawyer ventures into the image and unleashes color and line in a sonorous display of emancipation. The painter acknowledges no stylistic or thematic constraints, and if his orientation leads him from figuration to the path of abstraction, it does so naturally and organically, like someone who breathes, sometimes rhythmically and at other times close to the cry of agony or ecstasy,” explains Antonio Martorell, project manager of the exhibition. On display until Sunday, October 19, 2014.

Ausubo Billy Ramírez Castellano The Museo de Las Américas is pleased to present the sculpture exhibition entitled: Ausubo, by architect Billy Ramírez Castellano. The exhibition consists of four utilitarian pieces and three sculptural pieces created from scraps, the result of remodeling and restoration work carried out by architect Ramírez Castellano in historic buildings in Old San Juan. These "scraps" are mostly made of the same material: ausubo wood, a key element of colonial-era construction in Puerto Rico. Ausubo is a very hard and insect-resistant wood native to the Caribbean islands and some areas in Latin America. It was used by colonizers primarily to create structural beams in buildings. It was also used to turn balusters, handrails, doors, windows, and floors. The ausubo tree is very slow-growing, taking approximately 75 to 100 years to reach maturity. These works by Billy Ramírez have been created with minimal manipulation, allowing for a glimpse of their historical provenance. From this perspective, one can distinguish their imperfections, gaps from the dowels that joined the header and side of an old door frame, cuts and iron residue from old capuchin hinges, layers of paint, evidence of abrupt breaks, and power saw cuts. Some of the salvaged wood comes from buildings dating back to the 1700s, and the pieces range in grades from 75% to 95% of antique material. The exhibition opens on Thursday, August 21, 2004.

AMERICAN SABOR: Latinos in American Popular Music The Museum of the Americas has joined the Smithsonian Institution and the Ford Motor Company Fund to bring the exhibition American Sabor: Latinos in American Popular Music to Puerto Rico. This exhibition presents the contributions of Latinos to music in the United States from 1940 to the present. American Sabor spans 2,500 square feet, divided into five sections. The collection includes two short films, the first of which chronicles the history of dance in New York City with rhythms like the mambo and stars like Tito Puente and Tito Rodríguez. The second is a collection of interviews with stars of the Latin music scene such as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, and Carlos Santana. It also features music station tours that allow you to listen to different artists and genres, as well as expert commentary that identifies specific elements. One area has been converted into a dance space where visitors can use a jukebox to select their favorite music. This exhibition also allows the Museum to showcase another dimension of popular music, the Puerto Rican contribution, through the simultaneous exhibition "De Barrio Obrero a la 15...un paso es" (From Working-Class Neighborhood to 15th Street...One Step Is), which showcases the development of salsa in the neighborhood as a means of expression for the community. The introduction was made by renowned sociologist and popular music expert Professor Ángel Quintero, while urban artist David Zayas prepared a mural depicting the origins and development of salsa in the Santurce area. The exhibition will be located in a room adjacent to American Sabor. "De Barrio Obrero a la 15...un paso es" (From Working-Class Neighborhood to 15th Street...One Step Is) aims to connect the voice of the community to American Sabor, as well as highlight Puerto Rico's music scene and the contributions of our artists, and link it to the experience of the exhibition while it remains on the island. The exhibition will be on display in Room 3 of the Museo de Las Américas, from Friday, April 11th to Sunday, July 6th. Program of Activities

Fashion Art – Art Exhibition By Manuel Fernández Fashion Art celebrates ten years of touring the world and this anniversary is celebrated in Puerto Rico with the participation of ten great Puerto Rican artists: Antonio Martorell, Rafael Trelles, Sebastián Vallejo, Rafael Rivera Rosa, Marlene Hernández Casillas, Cacheila Soto, Joshua Santos Rivera “Ismo”, David Zayas, Nelson Figueroa and Bernardo Medina, who captured their works in the unique dresses by designer Manuel Fernández, after a collaborative process in which they combined their talents to create dresses that are authentic works of art. María A. López Vilella, executive director of the museum, comments: “The Museo de las Américas is honored to present the Fashion Art exhibition, a fusion of fashion and art that allows 10 of our great Puerto Rican artists to capture their works in the dresses designed by Manuel Fernández. This project has also given us the opportunity to strengthen important collaborative alliances with educational institutions such as the School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico and the University of Turabo.” “I feel very fortunate for the life adventure and professional growth that Fashion Art has given me over these ten years of experience. After almost 30 years in the fashion world and having walked on national and international runways, over time I've come to realize that my greatest achievement in all these years of experience has been the trust placed in me by all the artists who capture their work in my designs; a trust I continue to build on daily,” said Manuel Fernández, who has presented collections on the runways of New York Fashion Week, Cibeles in Madrid, and Gaudí in Barcelona. As a prelude to the exhibition's opening, Plaza Las Américas displayed a sample of some of the dresses that have previously been exhibited in other cities as part of this collection. The Fashion Art project is presented by the Museo de Las Américas in collaboration with the School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico and the University of Turabo. The School of Fine Arts and its students have been responsible for much of the exhibition's preparation, from the design of the mannequins to part of the costume design. They have also worked on the artwork that will accompany the pieces during the exhibition and its installation. "We are extremely excited to support this type of partnership between museums, visual artists, designers, and academics, where our students can actively participate in the interdisciplinary creative process and gain enriching experiences for their careers," said the school's rector, architect Ivonne María Marcial. The Fashion Design Program at the International School of Design and Architecture (EIDA) of the University of Turabo, directed by architect Aurorisa Mateo, collaborated with the creation of several of the costumes. “Fashion Art has demonstrated once again that tradition and technology can coexist in design: if, on the one hand, the pieces commissioned by EIDA have been crafted to the highest standards of haute couture, it's also true that there has been room for three-dimensional digital design and laser cutting,” explains Program Coordinator Professor Cristiano Carciani. This exhibition has toured 20 museums and featured 180 prominent artists, many of them internationally renowned, such as Manolo Valdés and Eduardo Úrculo, among others. “Fashion Art presents a unique opportunity for the work and talent of our local artists to be appreciated around the world, as they are integrated into an exhibition that is constantly being constructed, growing, and evolving, as it draws on the artistic talent of each country it visits.” "During its stay on the island, it also presents an opportunity to expand the cultural tourism offering for our visitors," said Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. The exhibition will be on display from Friday, February 28th to Sunday, May 25th, 2014, in Room 2 of the Museo de Las Américas. During this period, various training workshops in art and fashion design will be offered, working with groups at risk of social exclusion through the Fashion Art Institute Foundation. Fashion Art has been made possible thanks to the collaboration and sponsorship of: the School of Plastic Arts, the University of Turabo, Plaza Las Américas, Santander Puerto Rico, ACE Insurance, Goya, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the Consulate General of Spain, Bella International, El Nuevo Día, Casa Cortés, and La Bodega de Méndez. On display until May 25th, 2014.